EPA fines 13 Twin Falls developers

TWIN FALLS – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined 13 developers working in this Southern Idaho city for violations discovered during inspections in May, officials said.

The fines from the violations at six construction sites total $41,500.

“After six years of outreach and inspections in Idaho, we were disappointed to see so many violations,” said Kim Ogle, an EPA compliance officer in the agency’s regional office. “Complying with the permit helps to ensure that Idaho’s streams remain healthy.”

The agency said the violations were related to national storm-water rules, and inspections found that work crews were allowing sediment, oil, grease and concrete to wash out of sites. Officials said that can cause health hazards to workers and residents.

Other violations involved not getting federal environmental permits before starting construction.

McCoy Construction in Twin Falls was fined on two different projects, according to officials.

Another company, Starr Corp., was fined $4,000 in June for problems at the JayCo West expansion.

“They found several things they didn’t like,” said Starr President Glenn Arrington. “There were 10 issues or so, nine of them paperwork-related.”

He said the company didn’t list sources at the site in building documents, which included fuel tanks and portable bathrooms, and didn’t maintain an inventory of waste materials.

“I guess it was just overlooked in the pages and pages in our comprehensive plan,” he said.

He said the company took down a sediment-protection fence in the days before inspectors arrived to grade dirt in the area. He said the company will work to meet EPA requirements in the future.

“Our desire is to work within the law,” he said. “We’re learning more about what they want and require, and we’ll work toward that.”